Once, Xhea's wants were simple: enough to eat, safety in the
underground, and the hit of bright payment to transform her gray-cast
world into color. But in the aftermath of her rescue of the Radiant
ghost Shai, she realizes the life she had known is gone forever.
In the two months since her fall from the City, Xhea has hidden in
skyscraper Edren, sheltered and attempting to heal. But soon even she
must face the troubling truth that she might never walk again. Shai,
ever faithful, has stayed by her side-but the ghost's very presence has
sent untold fortunes into Edren's coffers and dangerously unbalanced the Lower City's political balance.
War is brewing. Beyond Edren's walls, the other skyscrapers have heard tell of the Radiant ghost and
the power she holds; rumors, too, speak of the girl who sees ghosts who
might be the key to controlling that power. Soon, assassins stalk the
skyscrapers' darkened corridors while armies gather in the streets. But
Shai's magic is not the only prize-nor the only power that could change
everything. At last, Xhea begins to learn of her strange dark magic, and why even whispers of its presence are enough to make the Lower City
elite tremble in fear.
Together, Xhea and Shai may have the
power to stop a war-or become a weapon great enough to bring the City to its knees. That is, if the magic doesn't destroy them first.